Chapter 20: Fingers in the dark - 10
The morning draped the frontier in gray mist, its tendrils curling around the tavern’s weathered walls, softening the world beyond.
Lira stood at the bottom of the stairs, her cloak fastened high at the throat, its dark wool blending with the dawn’s haze.
Her travel pack hung over one shoulder, light but sturdy, her twin daggers sheathed at her back, their hilts gleaming faintly.
Her boots, freshly oiled, shone with a rogue’s readiness, her silver hair braided tight against the wind’s tug.
She was every inch the infiltrator—lean, sharp, untamed—but her emerald eyes betrayed her, drifting toward the bar with a quiet pull.
Kio stood behind the counter, polishing a small leather case with a reverence that drew her like a lodestone.
His hands moved with steady care, the cloth gliding over the case’s surface, his dark eyes focused but aware of her presence.
The tavern hummed with morning stillness, the hearth’s embers casting a faint glow, the air rich with woodsmoke and polished oak.
He closed the case gently, then beckoned her with two fingers, his gesture soft but commanding.